A council in regional Western Australia is the latest to join the list of local governments around the country to allow ratepayer money to fund defamation action against members of the public.

A 22-year-old geology student pleads guilty to stealing from one of Australia's biggest gold mines, saying he wanted a "memento" to motivate him to finish his degree.

Analysts are calling for calm as a series of false starts, delays and lay-offs look set to destabilise Western Australia's burgeoning multi-billion-dollar lithium industry.

Unperturbed by the region's infamous sharks and 13-degree Celsius sea temperature, Lisa Julian is among a group that swims off the state's south coast each week without wearing a wetsuit.

A woman, who was 14 at the time, has been charged with the murder of a baby boy in 1995 in outback Western Australia.

A 38-year-old woman accused of murdering her newborn baby 24 years ago in the toilets of a remote WA caravan park is allowed to return home to Victoria to await the outcome of the case.

Hidden in outback scrubland lies a once legendary racetrack, where speed records were broken, sometimes even in the nude.

Australia is home to 91,000 Jews. Most of them live in Melbourne. Welcome to life inside Australia's most populous Jewish community.

A Japanese multinational agreed to pay its workers a 2 per cent annual bonus. It ended up in court blaming an errant keystroke after filing paperwork agreeing to pay a 10 per cent bonus.

A 24-year-old Kalgoorlie woman who crashed into an old courthouse building and fled the scene has avoided jail for reckless driving, telling a Magistrate she had "poor recollection" of the incident after hitting her head.

A cold case investigation into the death of a baby in a caravan park in WA's Goldfields 24 years ago takes another twist, with a 55-year-old Queensland man charged with historic child sex offences.

The find at a dam in outback Western Australia is even more incredible considering the number of fossickers who camp there while prospecting in the Goldfields.

The future of one of Australia's most profitable gold mines appears to be on shaky ground after more than 100 seismic events were recorded in a single day.

A Chinese-Australian family whose home was targeted in a coronavirus-related act of vandalism receives an outpouring of support from neighbours, celebrities and fellow Australians online.

Victorian health authorities are investigating a coronavirus outbreak at a private psychiatric facility which has resulted in at least 14 confirmed cases of the virus so far.

Victoria as recorded six new cases of coronavirus overnight, with a new cluster at a psychiatric facility.

A man accused of stealing a six-person spa and a car from the home of a dead work colleague has been denied bail due to his ongoing drug habit.

Todd Robinson speaks out about his partner, Constable Glen Humphris — one of the four police officers killed in a fatal crash — saying he was "so proud" to have joined Victoria Police.

Constable Glen Humphris and three other officers were hit by a truck while standing in the emergency lane of the Eastern Freeway in Melbourne.

Max Hill spent his police career hunting cannabis suppliers. Now he's seeking drug dealers out again, but this time as a customer — to help his son David ease his post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Some regional Australians argue they should see social-distancing measures wound back first because there is less risk of COVID-19 spreading, but a leading health expert is not a fan of the idea.

While war veterans around the country are disappointed Anzac Day services have taken a different form, one woman in Melbourne is grateful for a connection.

RAAF veteran Frank Sims was disappointed to not be able to walk with remaining men in the Odd Bods Association but was grateful to have his family around him on Anzac Day in 2020. Brighton East, Melbourne.

Trees damaged by recent bushfires are used to restore Upper Murray River with the hope of saving the endangered trout cod.

The number of new coronavirus cases recorded in Victoria remains low, but authorities are still concerned about a growing cluster at a private psychiatric clinic.

A Victoria Police officer, who was killed along with three of his colleagues when they were struck by a truck, is remembered as a "bright light" by his devastated family, who have been left "with a pain that has taken our breath away".

It's not just the takeaway giants benefitting from a drive-through business model during the coronavirus pandemic, with consumers opting for drive-through businesses to stock up on bread, meat and produce.

The lawyer for truck driver Mohinder Singh tells a Melbourne court his client is deeply distressed by the "tragic consequences" of last week's crash, when the truck he was driving hit and killed four police officers on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway.

With comedy festivals cancelled and stand-up clubs shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, Melbourne comics are turning to videoconferencing apps to reach audiences who have never needed a laugh more than now.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says plans are underway to test 100,000 people over the next fortnight for COVID-19 in order to make an informed decision on which restrictions could be rolled back after the state of emergency ends on May 11.

It's a challenging time for people addicted to poker machines shut down by COVID-19 and researchers are watching gamblers like Sam closely.

The partner of Senior Constable Kevin King, who was killed in last week's Eastern Freeway crash in Melbourne, says her heart is "in pieces" after the loss of her "only love for 35 years".

The Federal Government is ordered to pay $206,000 in legal fees for a two-year-old Tamil girl who has been embroiled in a high-profile legal battle to stay in Australia with her family.

Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter says he has sought final advice from his department on the release of unpublished documents relating to Cardinal George Pell's handling of child sexual abuse complaints.

As people look for new ways to cope with the isolation of the coronavirus lockdown, business is booming at adult retail stores around the country.

Creswick's famous woollen mills reopen to the public in time for winter after closing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but they remain closed to tourism for now.

Researchers have identified all the immune reactive proteins, then mapped and identified the parts causing chronic wheat ailments, giving growers a path to develop new lines.

Zoo owners in Victoria have welcomed the Federal Government's assistance package, but some fear they will not be eligible for the emergency funding.

Fire-affected communities in eastern Victoria are calling for a permanent firebreak to be built along both sides of the Princes Highway into New South Wales.

Youth unemployment has soared as a result of the coronavirus, prompting some young people to start their own businesses to try and claw their way back into the workforce.

The Gold Coast property market may avoid a significant downturn amid the coronavirus pandemic, with predictions of an increase in the number of interstate buyers chasing a sea change.

Meredith Thompson and Adrian Brown fight to see their beloved relative, after his nursing home denied visits even though he only has weeks to live.